Tales From the Freezer III: Of Holidays and Boxes
by Cleopatra Antoinette
Summary: In which Nuada realizes that perhaps his human compatriots have done more for him than he suspected, and also in which Bree decides to become scary.
1. Chapter 1

Alright... Firstly, I want it known that I was not able to update due to several events that happened to me in the Real World. I won't go into these, but sufice it to say that I'd much rather have been writing this.

Secondly, this takes place one year after the last episode, so Cillian and Nuada have been in the Freezer for a year. They have become much closer to John and the girls, although Nuada wouldn't admit it for the life of him. Anyway, it is Valentine's Day, he's just having a flashback of the Christmas two months before. Just to clear up confusion. I am afraid this story is not up to par with the other ones, however, since this is really a filler for what happens next, it's not that big a deal. ALSO, for those who keep asking me about Helloboy coming to visit the Freezer... I've been having that in mind since I started this. However, things need to happen before this occurs. Be content though, for it will most certainly come about.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HELLBOY. There you go.

This story is rated T for several highly suggestive comments made by a character.

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Tales From the Freezer, Episode III

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Of Holdiays and Boxes

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Nuada did not understand this human concept of love. It was a strange human idea, to have a certain day to tell someone that you love them. The prince was, in honesty, both fascinated with it and yet repulsed by it at the same time. Humans were ever wont to tell people how they loved them, how much they loved them, how deeply, how strongly, how very, very much. He had watched those silly 'chick flicks' that Bree and Alison seemed to enjoy on occasion, and they were ridiculous. They had no idea what love was in those movies. They portrayed it as silly, flamboyant, completely sexual, and just shallow.

They did not, could not understand what love truly was, and that was what Nuada believed, firmly and without a doubt. They wanted only act of sex, the selfish pleasure taken from each other. They were mortals, and yet they did not understand this. They did not bother waiting to share with those they cared for, they wanted to take as much as could be taken, as much as would be given, and they didn't want to give any back. They didn't love. They lusted. And this was not changed in Nuada's mind, and never would be.

And yet… after over a year of being here… with these humans… this _had_ changed, slowly, ever so slowly.

It had begun a few months after Cillian had joined them. He grew very little, as his kind did in their first few years, but his teeth grew very quickly. He had been in pain constantly, gnawing and biting everything. Including John.

John hadn't been happy when Cillian first bit his leg. In fact, he'd been downright miserable. It turned out that he was allergic to yeti saliva, and it made his leg, as Bree put it, "blow up like a balloon." Whatever that may have been.

Nuada expected John to be furious, and he had been of course. But it didn't last long, and neither did the swelling. Unfortunately, Cillian's teething lasted for quite a long time, and to add to that, another issue with the youngling came along.

Cillian's kind were a social breed, loving and caring towards each other, always in close, family units. But Cillian's family had been destroyed by something, most likely an Ice Wyrm. Nuada had gone out searching not long after finding the cub for them. His mother was dead, and though he hadn't told the humans, she had died from a huge gash that went from her neck to her stomach. Most of her entrails had been falling out, and it was amazing she had lasted that long. Nuada had hoped that perhaps she had been separated and then attacked along, so that Cillian could be returned to his family. Alas, he found them, and they were all destroyed as his mother had been. They were completely eaten, except for the bones, and whatever had come after them had to have been starving to be willing to take on a full Yeti Pack alone. Nuada had left, sad at the death, but confidant that Cillian would adjust well with him around to care for the cub.

But it was not so. Shortly after Cillian began teething, he also began crying. It was a strange, lonely howl followed by many whimpers, and then when there was no respond to the call, he would wander up and down the halls repeating his cries over and over, waiting for his mother to reply. Eventually, he fell silent, and went into a depression. He would not eat, nor interact, nor sleep, but sat in a corner. Nuada had been very afraid for the cub. At such a young age, he needed a great deal of food to energize himself and keep strong. At the rate Cillian had been going, he would not live long. After a while, the fae had given up hope, and was convinced that he would be placing Cillian's body on the very spot where his mother had lain. His mood too had fallen, and the humans had noticed as they decorated the halls for the thing they called "Christmas."

The bright lights, the red, green and gold decorations, the constant preparing of meals, secretly hiding things away in their rooms so that they could not be seen by others… it all seemed empty to him. Cillian was a pet, more a companion, but he was more than that to Nuada. Cillian was a piece of Wild Fae, creatures that roamed the earth still with magic in their veins and wild in their hearts. With Cillian, Nuada had felt like he was still a part of it all, still a prisoner, but not alone. With the yeti's death, that would change. He would be alone again, trapped in a prison of metal and technology. Never again would he behold the wild, nor would he see the life and light of his people. It would all fade…

And then, on the eve of the night that the humans had been waiting for, it changed.

He had been walking through the halls, morning for his soon-to-be lost heritage, and the soon dead Cillian who lay in his room. He planned to take the cub outside to feel the snow and cold and see the night sky littered with stars one last time before his death. But when he arrived at the room, Cillian was not there. Nor was he in the make-shift library, nor the garden room, nor the golf room. He began running through the rooms calling for his pet, growing more and more anxious by the second.

Then the Moment began.

Nuada had been running through one of bigger halls when he began to hear strains… of music, and worse than music, laughter. Infuriated, the prince had stormed to the Great Room, a great empty expanse with perhaps the only fireplace in the entire fortress.

There, in the middle of the room, was a huge pine tree. Nuada at first thought that it was fake, or had been cut down, but upon further inspection, he saw that it grew from a large hole in the ground filled with earth. The tree was decorated with lights that made the room sparkle with color, and the fire filled it with light and warmth. In another corner, there was a large black instrument, which he later learned was called a piano. And there, sitting and playing it, was Alison. Standing next to her was Bree, and sitting on the floor was John, holding Cillian in his lap. And they were singing while music played, their eyes closed, their voices strong and firm.

_O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;_

_It is the night of the dear Savior__'__s birth!_

Nuada walked in slowly, taking it all in slowly, letting the sight sink in. His eyes wandered from the small presents sitting at the foot of the tree to the three humans singing, to the large white creature licking John's hand, making snuffling noises as he sniffed at the treat the human held in his hand.

_Long lay the world in sin and error pining,_

_Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth._

Nuada stared as it began to eat the snack, and as he sniffed at the other treats that were in John's pocket. He didn't realize he had been holding his breath until Cillian started munching on a second one.

_A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,_

_For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn._

What had happened next, Nuada wasn't sure he hadn't drempt it all. He remembered sitting on the floor by John, holding Cillian, who had started to lick his face.

_Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!_

_O night divine, O night when Christ was born!_

Then there came presents, gifts from the girls to himself and John, gifts from John to the girls and the prince, and to Cillian, they gave a huge bowl of food. Not long after Cillian ate it all, they all started singing again, and this time Cillian joined in, sounding eerily like a child in his warbling howl. Nuada was surprised with himself after he heard the cub join. His species communicated, in part, through howls and cries, and they, not unlike birds, liked to sing through small barks and woofs. It was truly shocking that he had forgotten it.

_O night, O holy night, O night divine!_

…

It was two months since then. Cillian grew stronger again, provided that he was sung to often enough. Now he was back to running around, sniffing and growling and playing. And the humans, at least the females, were getting ready for Valentines Day. Nuada, still not quite understanding, went to John.

"I think the females are infatuated with us," Nuada warned him. John, who had been trying to untangle wires and electrocuting himself gave him a strange look. "I am not a fool, human. I've watched those two. They seem intent on celebrating a day meant for couples either romantically or sexually engaged. Neither you nor I are romantically involved, and if you are sexually involved, I have no desire to know."

John made a face at the thought. "Dude, that's just gross."

"Well, it is completely possible."

"What, that I'm having SEX with them?! Are you crazy?!"

"You are humans, and so lesser beings. It is completely possible that your basic instincts may have overridden your already limited ability to think clearly."

"Care to say that to my face?!"

"I just did, fool."

After John tried to punch his nose, Nuada realized that he may not be able to get his thoughts through to the male clearly. Obviously he was not capable of thought as he was, which led his options to only two others.

"Bree," he began, as she iced her cupcakes with pink and red colors. "I realize that you are a lesser creature of this world, a thing of impulse and desire."

She looked up at him. "Are you trying to insult me or compliment me?"

"Neither. I am simply saying that, while your sexual interest in me is not unwarranted-"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait… WHAT?" Bree put her icing down and stared at him.

Nuada sighed. Humans were hard to get to. "I'm saying that I know I'm far more attractive than the human males you are used to, but I have no desire to… engage in intercourse with you."

Bree blinked. "Is that some backwards way of offering?"

"Ye gods, no!"

"Then don't make it sound like it!"

"I didn't! I was telling you that I don't have any interest in seeing you naked."

Bree put her hands on her hips "Okay Prince. I don't know how you fairy types do it, but here, you don't tell someone you don't want to sleep with them unless they OFFER to."

Nuada waved around. "You've decorated this room in candles, flowers, you're cooking many kinds of food… you are making a romantic evening."

"Because it's FUN!"

"No, it's because it's a prelude to you attempting to seduce me into your bed. It will not work."

The girl's eyes narrowed slowly. "So, you're saying I'm not sexy enough to seduce someone, is that it?"

He blinked. "I… no, I'm saying you aren't sexy enough to seduce _me_."

"Oh, so you're not seducible."

"What?" This was a turn of events he had not anticipated. "Is not this entire day of Valentines meant to seduce?"

Bree frowned. "N… Okay, sometimes it is. But not here. Here it's just for friends."

"Friends?"

"Yeah, we're making cookies and getting fun movies and we're just going to have a fun time. Nothing romantic about it at all."

"So… there will be no seducing?" Nuada asked cautiously. He wanted to be sure before bolting his room shut and melting the lock behind him.

Unfortunately, he forgot how much Bree loved making people uncomfortable. The redhead leaned across the counter just enough so that he could see her cleavage if he looked down enough, and she got a completely diabolical (seductive) look on her face. Then she spoke in a sultry, sexy voice "Not unless you want to, handsome."

Nuada had to fight back the urge to vomit as Alison walked into the room humming cheerfully. "What's going on?"

Bree looked at her. "Nuada wants to have sex with you."

Alison and Nuada gave each other a horrified look. Her face turned beet red and before the flustered elf could say anything, she looked at her feet and gave a giggle.

John was in the workroom, tinkering on a small computer with Cillian at his feet as Nuada went careening down the halls screaming in a tone that was somewhat akin to abject terror. Meanwhile, Alison and Bree were giving each other high-fives and cackling at the success of their prank.

…

Valentine's Day morning. John woke up grinning, anticipating what was awaiting his mouth in the kitchen. He got out of bed and ran to the door of his room, expecting to smell the chocolate chip pancakes being cooked, but stopped and headed back to his closet, pulling out some presents from under a pile of clothes. "Need to wash those," he muttered to himself as he headed out the door again.

Bree and Alison were already getting ready to eat when John came in. "Don't look!" he warned as he set his presents by their seats. He glanced at the two wrapped gifts sitting by his chair but not too long. After all, they had to wait for that.

Cillian sat on the floor gnawing on a basketball that had been soaked in a special resin to make it twice as hard. It was more or less to Cillian what a tennis chew-toy was to a dog. He had been given a bath and a grooming and his white baby-fur was fluffy and soft. The three humans munched on their breakfast of pancakes and hot chocolate. They had set a place for Nuada, but he was nowhere to be found that morning. After they had finished eating they sat there waiting for a moment before Alison picked up her present from Bree. "I think it's safe to start now."

"I guess," John took the package that Bree had given him as well and they both ripped them open while Bree watched grinning."

Alison bounced up and down in her chair upon opening her package. "HEY!! A Hundred And One Ways to Make Firecrackers! Wow! That's awesome, Bree! Thanks!"

John stared at the book in his hands. "How to be a Manly Man. Ah… thank you."

Bree beamed. "No problem! Now then," she took Alison's present. "let's see…"

"Golf balls! Sweet! Thanks, Alison!"

"No problem! I got your initials on them too, John."

"Wow, thanks," John looked over at Bree, who was looking into her package with a wicked grin. "What'd you get, Bree?"

"Oh, that's my little secret, Johnny boy."

"Alright, I don't want to know now."

"Time for John's presents!" Bree and Alison both cooed when they pulled out large stuffed kittens from their boxes, along with large bags of candy. "Nice and safe."

John shrugged. "Hey, I'm man enough to admit that I don't feel like worrying about whether or not you'll like the gifts I got you. You both like candy and kitties. That's safe."

The girls both agreed and applauded John for his sound logic. Then Nuada came in carrying three objects wrapped in cloth which he handed out to each individual. He had found them while he was exploring the fortress, and he had planned to keep them for himself as they were artifacts of a rather valuable nature that once belonged to his people. However, he felt that since he had known them for more than a year and they had done some good, there wasn't much harm in giving them to the humans. And if everything went as he planned, then it would only help him in the future. "I had to fetch these before I came. Open them."

Inside the cloth were three individual boxes, each of them decorated with unique designs. John's box was made or a dark red wood, with designs of leaves outlined in gold. It was solid and heavy, and there was a gold lock with a matching key that had a chain running through it. Bree's was a sort of light color, almost blue, and it had swirls and lovely patterns carved into it with silver. A lock and key similar to John's came with hers. Alison's box had a lock and key as well, but unlike John's and Bree's boxes, hers was made of glass, but it was impossible to see through. No matter which way she turned it, it just reflected light back, like diamonds. Hers didn't come with a lock. Which she noticed. "Wait a minute! How come I don't get a fancy necklace?!"

"Here, have mine," said John, who was of the opinion that necklaces were feminine and so he could not wear them. Since he was a manly man and all that.

"No trading keys!" snapped Nuada.

"No trading?" Alison said sadly.

"No."

Bree grinned evilly and leaned over onto John's arm a little. "Hey John, wanna see if your key fits into my lock?"

Nuada's face turned green. "Humans and your primitive mating rituals."

Bree turned to the ill-fated prince and purred. "Your key might be a little too big for my lock I think. Might have to… turn it a bit."

"Ye gods, I have been through battlefields that are more like lakes of blood and innards, but never before have I felt the urge to vomit this strongly before."

Alison tried to change the subject. "So what are these for?"

"They are my thanks for saving Cillian." And thanks for other things.

Bree got up from her chair and sat down in Nuada's lap and stroked the side of his face smiling. "Oh, but how will _I _thank you for this gift?"

Nuada's face had an interesting expression. "You can go away."

"To your bedroom?"

"NO!! John, I told you this was all just a plot to seduce us!"

John stood up with his presents and headed to his room. "I just live here."

Alison just stared at herbox. "Where did you get these?"

Nuada, who was trying to keep Bree from wrapping her arms around him, glanced at her. "You will see later perhaps- BREE!! Stop touching me!"

Bree wiggled in his lap. "That's not what you said last night."

"I didn't say anything last night!"

"Well, that's true; you just made lots of noises."

"What are you TALKING about?!"

"Don't tell me you forgot our wonderful night together!"

Alison decided to leave at that point, pulling Cillian along with her. Nuada called after her pleadingly. "Alison! Alison! You can't leave me alone with this harpy! Do something! Save me! Pllleeeeaaaasssseeee!!"

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The End. For now.

Okay, first note: If you have a problem with any mention of Jesus in here, too bad, because it works. Second note: I PLAN to have another entry in by Easter, unless something blows up. In which case, that would suck.

OH! And before I forget. To you crazy, mad fangirls out there who demand either NO Nuada/OC, or absolutly want Nuada/OC, I don't really plan on it happening. The slight romance (which is really intended as a joke) is just to amuse and cause laughter. However, if makes enough people REALLY REALLY want Nuada and/or John to end up with someone, then I will _consider_ it. Note that I said _consider_.

And I know I don't deserve it... but... reviews... please...


	2. Preview

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_Cleopatra Antoinette_

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_Proudly Presents_

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**Tales From the Freezer IV: Thoughts and Ponderings**

Everyone has their own thoughts of the others. The only question is what those thoughts really are...


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